Microsoft’s RoomAlive turns an entire room into an interactive display

Microsoft’s RoomAlive turns an entire room into an interactive display

You may remember a small project that Microsoft unveiled a few years back called IllumiRoom, first thought to be included with the next generation Xbox (thought to be called the Xbox 720), IllumiRoom allowed users to project a larger gaming display onto their wall.

Since that time the project went away from the spotlight, but thankfully today it is back in a brand new and much larger design.

Now called RoomAlive, the new system will not only extend your display, but it will project it throughout a room and then interact with it in any way the system sees fit. RoomAlive does these by connecting to multiple procams, which are basically a set of projectors, and a Kinect to allow for the interactive features of the system.

Microsoft say that once connected the system will automatically calibrate and track the user in order to allow for a 3D geometry of your room in just a few minutes. Once this is done RoomAlive will be able to track both you and your props to create a gaming experience much like the Oculus Rift but without the headset.

It’s all pretty cool, however at the moment its only a prototype so you won’t be able to buy one just yet. Thankfully Microsoft have released a video that shows a few extra details to RoomAlive, you can check that out below.